War Stories
by Yamadori
Summary: Blue Dragon Anime. A prequel of sorts to Season 2. A collection of stories surrounding Shu and Bouquet, and their time in the Resistance. Pairings, when there are any, will be almost all Shu x Bouquet with a very minor possibility of one-sided Shu x Kluke
1. A Reunion

**Hey, guys! I officially ended **_**Troubles on White Day**_** a little while ago, so I thought I'd upload a new series while I'm at it. This is just a collection of oneshots - and things like that - about Shu and Bouquet, and the things that happened to them in the time between Season 1 and Season 2. I don't know how big it will become, but it will probably be a little similar to **_**Shu and Kluke: Precious Memories**_**. Before I forget, there's an important note to mention about this chapter, so...**

**IMPORTANT NOTE: THIS CHAPTER HAS MINOR REFERENCES TO ALCOHOL AND SMOKING.**

**It's not too much... But if someone thinks that I should, I can bump up the rating to T. I thought it was fine like this, since the Harvest Moon games had alcohol in them, and they were still rated E. I don't mind changing it, though, so let me know if it needs to be changed. I can't think of anything else to say, so I'll do the disclaimer, and then we can get to the story.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Blue Dragon. But I do own two OCs, Hayate and Yoshi.**

**Note: While I have named her and developed her character, I did not create Hannah. She was seen in episode one of season two, while Shu was explaining the Black Shadow Type Four robots to some of the soldiers; she's the girl with red hair that's teased up (a lot like an afro).**

It went without saying that Shu felt uncomfortable in a bar; even if it was the place the soldiers hung out after their missions, that didn't mean it was any place for a twelve year old.

"Come on, kiddo, have somethin'!" one of his fellow soldiers nudged his shoulder, already having had one too many.

"Uh... I think I'll pass. You go ahead, though."

"Suit yourself." he slurred, shrugging and turning back to the others, who were laughing merrily as one of them tried to dance on a table.

Shu sighed, pushing his helmet down on his head, trying to shield himself from the horrible scene. _How did I ever get into this?_ This thought brought back to him what had happened before he got here, and he shuddered as he tried to push the memory to the back of his mind. _I'll be lucky if I ever step foot in Talta again._

"Hey, you guys?" he turned to talk to them. No one was really listening, but he continued anyway, just to be courteous. "I think I'm going to go outside. I'll meet you there."

He sighed in relief when he got outside, glad to be away from the smell of fermented malt and hops... only to choke as he got a mouthful of cigarette smoke. "Hannah?" he coughed, waving a hand in front of his face.

"That's me." she inhaled deeply from the roll of tobacco, tapping the end when she was done.

"What are you doing?"

"Smoking, obviously. What's it look like I'm doing?"

Shu shook his head. "You shouldn't do that. You won't be able to stop."

She shrugged. "I stopped for a year and a half already. I started again because I wanted to, not because I needed to."

He smiled a little. "Don't the adults get upset?"

Hannah chuckled. "Kiddo, that's the whole point. You ever see a grown-up's face when they catch a fourteen-year old smoking?"

Shu laughed; that was just like Hannah. The girl was a little gruff, but she was honest, and was the second youngest member of the Resistance after Shu. He'd felt out of place when he joined, but she'd showed him how everything worked in the miniature army, and had almost become like a big sister. "I think I'd probably like to."

"I'll show you sometime. Anyway, how come you left?"

"I don't like bars."

Hannah nodded. "I see. I don't like 'em much, either. Boring, anyway. But I know something you can do."

"What?"

She pointed to what looked like a ramen cart. "Hayate and Yoshi went in there for a snack. It feels like a bar sometimes, but without all the boring stuff and the alcohol." she winked at him.

"Sounds good. I'll give it a try. Thanks, Hannah!" he ran off towards the cart.

She leaned back against the wall, closing her eyes. "If they've got one, pick up a Ramune soda for me!"

"I will!"

When Shu lifted the hanging awning to step over to the counter, Hayate finished slurping some ramen and turned to look at him. "You finally showed up, huh?"

"How did you know I was coming?" Shu asked as he sat down.

"It's kinda obvious," Yoshi shrugged. "You're still a kid, so it seemed reasonable you wouldn't stay in that place."

Shu scowled. "You guys may be older than me and Hannah, but you're still not adults yet. Who're you to talk?"

"The guys who are enjoying some pretty good soup."

"All you ever think about is your stomach," Hayate rolled his eyes, then leaned towards Shu. "I, on the other hand, have found out something very interesting concerning one of my favorite interests."

Shu gulped; the only person he'd ever met more perverted than Hayate was Marumaro. "R-really?"

"Yeah, she's really cute. Real pretty eyes. And she's _very_ gifted here," he gestured in front of his chest. "If you know what I mean."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Shu said flatly - he knew all about girls who were "gifted". "I'm twelve, Hayate, not two."

He slapped Shu on the back good-naturedly. "Of course you are!" he winked. "That's why we have to find you a girlfriend."

Shu looked away, suddenly downcast. "I already told you that I have someone."

* * *

_His feet hurt as he walked, and the events of the battle of darkness still weighed heavily in his mind. He'd been walking for a few days now, and getting to Talta would be a relief._

"_Darling!!!" he cringed, turning around as he saw Bouquet running towards him._

"_What are you doing here?"_

"_Coming with you, of course!"_

_He looked away. "No, you're not."_

"_Yes, I am! I told you I'd follow you to the ends of the earth!"_

"_I don't want you to follow me anymore!" he yelled at her. How could she still want to be around him? After what he'd done to Zola?_

"_B-but..." Bouquet sunk to her knees and started sobbing. "Y-you can't leave me! I don't have anyone else!" she wailed._

_That struck a cord in Shu's heart; it wasn't as bad as killing someone, but leaving Bouquet all alone would be something that he couldn't forgive himself for. He walked towards her._

"_I... I don't want to be by myself!" she blubbered, crying much like she had when she told the group that she'd lost the Extra Seven. She stopped, though, as she felt something wrapped around her waist. Looking down, she saw Shu tying his red waistcloth around her._

"_My grandfather gave this to me," he said calmly, tying the knot with practiced ease. "It's something very precious to me, so I wouldn't just leave you with it."_

"_Shu..."_

_He pushed himself up a little, not quite standing, leaning on his knees. "After everything that's happened, I need to be alone for a while. But this is a little something for you to know that I haven't forgotten you."_

_She sniffed. "You promise?"_

_Shu smiled. "I promise," he stood, offering her his hand. "This isn't 'good-bye'. It's just 'see you later'."_

* * *

"Riight. This imaginary girl that you keep saying you have." Hayate rolled his eyes.

Shu held up his head with his hand. That day... It had been almost a year ago now, though it still felt longer. He had Hannah, but he'd felt alone since he left Bouquet. And it hadn't helped after the fight in Talta. He shuddered again.

"Hey, Shu, you cold or somethin'?" Yoshi asked through a mouthful of noodles.

"Probably just needs some soup," Hayate leaned over the counter. "Hey, Miss Waitress! Are you still around? Our friend wants to order something."

"Don't put words in my mouth!" Shu whispered harshly.

"No worries, little man; I'm going to hook you up, in more ways than one." he whispered to Shu, than turned to yell for the waitress. "Come on, don't be shy, Miss! Besides, even if he's a little young, he's a real cutie!"

"Hayate!!" Shu tried to pull him back down, utterly mortified.

"Go easy on him, Hayate."

"Shut up, Yoshi."

"Sorry for the wait!" the waitress pushed. "Okay, what would you-" she froze.

Shu quickly stood, unable to form any words, taking a step back. He still had to admit, though, she looked cute; she was wearing a teal kimono with long sleeves, the hem at the bottom a tiny bit shorter than her old light blue dress, midnight blue hair ties. She still had the red sash tied around her waist.

She stepped on the counter, revealing sandaled feet, using it to launch herself into the air so she could prepare to crush him in a hug. "Darling!!"

"Bouquet, wait a minute!!" He tried, futilely, to dodge, but she'd grabbed him before he could do anything. The two of them fell to the ground, Shu's helmet falling off and rolling away. "Bouquet, _stop_!"

"Now see what you did?" Yoshi glared at his brother.

Hayate just enjoyed watching Bouquet try to smother Shu. "Huh. Guess he had a girlfriend after all."

**I think that's a good place to end it. Well... I don't know how that was for the first story, but I think it went pretty well. On a side note, I'd like to say that it was a pain writing Hayate. While Marumaro is harder, it always bugs me to write even a slightly perverted character. I already have quite a few OCs set out for the Resistance members, though, so I needed to come up with a new personality. He and his twin will probably make a few more appearances, but probably not until later. Anyway... Review if you get the chance. I need to work on **_**Blue Dragon Beyond**_** and my Eternal Sonata story, so it may be a little while before I update this. But I already have a good idea of what the next chapter will be, so it shouldn't be too hard. See you later. :)**


	2. Welcome to the Resistance

**Hey, guys - here's chapter two. I'm sorry it took so long; I haven't been feeling that well, and there were people coming over to my home yesterday, so... But I won't get into it. Instead, I'll reply to the reviews of last chapter.**

**ultimashadow:** Yeah - it just seems like the kind of thing she'd do. XD Thanks; I'll try to keep it up.

**WindGoddess Rune:** Yep! :D At least, that's one way I thought they could meet up again. Oh, that? Well... I can't really tell you right now, since it gives away something in another story. I'll try not to keep you waiting, though.

**WindGoddess Rune:** Yes, they are. Although, like I've mentioned before, Hayate is a pain to write because of the stuff he does and says. I prefer writing Yoshi. :)

**WindGoddess Rune: **I got your message. :) Ah... I guess I'm alright. I could be better. Thanks for asking, though.

**WindGoddess Rune:** Yeah, I'm okay. I sent you a message, too, since you seemed like you might be a little worried, and I didn't know how soon I'd be able to respond when I uploaded a chapter of one of my stories - my accursed writer's block is to blame for that. But again, thank you for asking. :)

**Prince of Tennis' Shaman:** Thanks. :) Ah, really? I'm glad. Usually, I haven't liked OCs too much, but I'm finding that I like them more than I used to. Also, I should probably stop calling Hannah an OC... I saw her in Episode 1 of Tenkai no Shichi Ryuu. She had no speaking lines, but I liked her when I saw her, so I thought I'd develop her character a little. Anyway... XD That's why I'm glad everyone's asleep at my home while I'm reading all of your reviews - if they saw me grinning like an idiot while I was reading them, they'd probably think I was crazy, too. XD Well, more crazy. ;) Anyway, I'm off to reply to your other reviews! :D

**Okay, there are the replies. I know I mentioned this last chapter and in one of the reviews, but I'll say it again: writing Hayate is **_**such a pain**_**. Why, oh OC, must you rebel against my wishes? I guess that's part of writing, though - you can't like everything that your characters do. Every good story needs conflict. And what better conflict than one between the writer and their own character? ;) Anyway, I'd like to make an important note, so...**

**IMPORTANT NOTE: UNLESS SOMEONE SAYS OTHERWISE, I AM DISCONTINUING THE DISCLAIMER IN ALL OF MY STORIES.**

**Now, I'd also like to say that all of my new stories will have a disclaimer on the first chapter. But I can't think of anything interesting to add to them anymore, so I won't be adding anymore to the stories I currently have going. Goodbye, disclaimer, you pitiful thing! :D So, without that miserable note, we can get to the story without delay.**

"Ah!"

"Bouquet!" Shu spun around when he heard her yell.

She caught herself on a rock, sighing in relief; walking up a mountain in sandals was _not_ easy. Looking up, she caught Shu's worried expression, then giggled and waved at him.

When he saw that she was okay, he let out a breath he hadn't known he was holding.

Hayate snickered. "I wish I could be behind her every time she tripped."

Shu glared at him harshly. "You even _think_ about it and you'll be minus a head."

"Wow, wow," Hayate held his hands in front of him defensively. "A little touchy, aren't we?"

"Don't make any moves toward her," Shu didn't waver. "She doesn't know any better."

His grin widened. "That's the best part."

Yoshi stared at him in horror. "Bro, you're disgusting."

Hayate shrugged. "I can't help how I feel."

"Yeah, well, you can 'feel' as much as you want, as long as you do it far away from Bouquet." Shu strode past them.

* * *

"Ouch," Shu rubbed his rear end as he sat down. "Whoever heard of having lunch on a cliff?"

"Well, it's not really a cliff; it's just an elevated rock coming out of the mountain next to the path." Yoshi supplied.

"Oh, because that's _so_ much easier to understand." Hayate rolled his eyes.

"Darling," Bouquet, who was still down on the path, stretched up to reach. "Can you help me up?"

"I'll help you." Hayate offered his hand.

"Oh, thank you..." she stood on the tips of her toes, but he kept his hand purposely out of reach. Bouquet didn't know this, and jumped to try and reach him. "I can't get it!"

He held back laughter as he watched her jump. "Keep try- OW!"

"Jerk," Shu said after he slapped Hayate's hand, then leaned down, offering his hand. "Here, Bouquet."

Since he wasn't keeping it away from her, Bouquet grabbed his hand easily. In less than a second, she'd settled down next to Shu. "Phew! I wonder why I couldn't get up before."

"Uh... Shu probably has long arms." Hayate chuckled nervously, slightly backing away as Shu's eyes shot daggers.

"Lunchtime, boys." Hannah interrupted the imminent fight, dropping plastic wrapped sandwiches into their laps.

Shu sighed, examining his sandwich through the plastic. "What's today's meat, Hannah?"

"God only knows." she plopped down next to Shu, starting to unwrap it.

He groaned. "This is going to be fun."

Hayate leaned over to whisper in Bouquet's ear. "Last time we got mystery meat, the poor kid was throwing up for two hours."

"It was one, you idiot." Shu countered with his eyes closed, taking off his helmet.

"Hm?" Hayate looked over Bouquet, seemingly finding something. "Shu, isn't your hair tie usually blue?"

"It's red now." Yoshi added.

"Maybe. What of it?"

Bouquet looked at the two quizzically. "It was always red when we were traveling together."

"_Really_," he looked at Shu slyly. "You wouldn't happen to be dressing up for your girlfriend, would you?"

"Drop dead, Hayate!"

"Why do you always instigate him?" Yoshi gave his brother a look.

"It's fun. I can't help it." he said, shrugging.

Shu, seething, tried to ignore him by opening up his meal (as much as it was). He looked at it warily, then took a tentative bite... and nearly hacked it out. "Ugh, that is _disgusting_! I'm going to kill Legolas!"

"Aren't we all?" Hannah commented sourly, already three quarters done with the first half.

Bouquet frowned at her own sandwich, poking it a little, before handing it to Shu saying, "Hold this for me, please." Before he could say anything, she hopped off the edge, her sandals making a loud clap as she hit the ground, and ran back down the path.

"Bouquet!" he yelled after her, but she'd already entered the nearby forest. "Oh, for the love of... Hannah, hold this." he shoved both his and Bouquet's sandwiches into her hands.

"Isn't one nasty sandwich enough?"

"I said hold it, not eat it!" he snapped at her. Then he pushed himself off, landing easily, and started chasing after her.

"You think anything's gonna happen?" Hayate asked lazily.

Hannah narrowed her eyes. "Like what?"

"The two of them making out."

"... Men can be such disgusting pigs." Hannah spat out, before looking down and trying to figure out which sandwich was hers and which one was Shu's. Thank God Bouquet hadn't taken a bite of hers; figuring out two was much easier than three.

A few moments passed by, the trio of Resistance members eating their lunch, albeit trying not to throw it up (though that wasn't always such a bad choice, since it was usually worse on your stomach if you didn't hurl). And then they heard the familiar clapping, and Bouquet was coming into view, her bag (which was now bulging) held in front of her. A few seconds more, and Shu stumbled out after her, looking particularly worse for the wear.

After doing something down on the ground, Bouquet looked around, seeming to talk to everyone as she asked, "Does anyone have a pot? Or something like it?"

"I've got a pot." Yoshi pulled one out of his bag, tossing it to her.

"Why do you have a pot?" Hannah asked, both curious and afraid of the answer.

He sighed wistfully. "Wishful thinking."

Before anyone could stop her, she'd run back into the forest again. Shu spun around so fast that he tripped on his own feet, so he wasn't able to follow her right away. He didn't need to, though; she was back in a minute or less, carefully holding the pot with water, setting it down on the pile of rocks and wood she had made. "Can someone get a fire going, please?"

"I wish you'd told me before you put the pot on it..." Shu grumbled, setting to work on it. He ended up moving the pot a little, but he got it going eventually. "_Now_ will you tell me what you're doing?"

"I'll show you." she opened her bag, and dumped out the contents into the pot, mushrooms bobbing in the water.

Suddenly, Yoshi became very interested in what she was doing. "What's that?"

Bouquet pulled what looked like leaves out of her kimono folds, then tore them up into little pieces and dropped them in with the mushrooms. "Soup."

"Well, I'll be..." Hannah tossed the sandwiches to the side, not caring if they got dirty - if everything went right, no one would be eating them anyway. "Look what Shu brought us."

"I didn't bring her," Shu blushed. "She just follows me."

"Does anyone have any milk or cream?"

"If we did, I'd be drinking it right now." Yoshi sounded annoyed yet longing.

She sighed. "It tastes better with milk... But I guess it can't be helped."

After a little while, the soup was done. And as soon as everyone tried it, they all agreed that it was the best thing they'd had since they joined the Resistance.

"Oh my gosh... Oh my _gosh_... I'm going to get the others!" Yoshi hopped off and ran towards the encampment further down the path.

Hayate sighed. "That's just like my stupid twin; as soon as he finds something just the least bit tasty, he suddenly feels he has the responsibility to share it with everyone in a five mile radius."

Shu sighed an entirely different sigh - one of utter delight. "Bouquet... That was delicious..."

She giggled, moving to cling to his arm. "Only the best for my Darling."

Hannah looked at her curiously. "How come you call Shu 'Darling' all the time?"

Before Shu could stop her, she said, "Because he's my fiancé, of course!"

"Oh _really_," Hayate leaned on his elbows, grinning. "That's very interesting."

"I am _not_!!" Shu was almost wailing, but not quite. He was too mad probably.

"What's wrong, Shu?" Bouquet furrowed her eyebrows at him. "Why don't you want anyone to know that we're going to be married?"

"We are _not_ going to be married." he said through gritted teeth.

She giggled again. "Of course we are! Don't be silly!"

"Don't worry, Shu," Hayate chortled. "When you get married, I'll be there to help you. I'm going to observe _every single thing_, from beginning to end."

It was only by sheer luck that the rock Shu threw didn't kill Hayate, but simply bounced off his helmet. It was enough to knock him off the cliff, though. The other soldiers looked at Hannah a little strangely when she started laughing her head off, but she didn't really care.

**Okay, there's chapter two. Originally, chapter two wasn't going to be a direct sequel of chapter one, but I got this idea, so I went ahead and wrote it. I kinda like how it turned out. :) Anyway... I don't think I forgot to mention anything else, so go ahead and review if you want, and I'll see you soon.**


	3. New Look

**Chapter 3 is up at last! Man... it took me so long to do this. I'm sorry for the wait. I've had this horrible writer's block... I'm starting to get over it, though. With that, let's do the replies.**

**ultimashadow:** Yeah, he can. XD It's understandable, I guess; even though it's been almost a year since then, the Battle of Darkness is weighing heavily on his mind. Also, he hasn't seen Bouquet in a long time, so he's probably going to be a little defensive of her. And Hayate is basically bugging Shu _constantly_ between chapters, so it makes him on edge. Oh, I know; I can't stand it, actually. Which makes me wonder why I write it in the first place... Ah. That's right. I ran out of ideas for Resistance member OCs. :P Oh, boy... I don't even want to think about that. As a younger Shu would say: Icky! Yeah; I got tired of it, so... Well, actually, I don't have a better reason that. *insert sheepish head scratching here*

**WindGoddess Rune:** I know; Legolas is so cheap. :P But, yeah - now that Bouquet's there, their meals should get much better. :)

**WindGoddess Rune:** ... EB GAMES/GAMESTOP, YOU LYING BUMS!!! ...Sorry, I needed to get that out. I was originally going to rant a little when I first saw this review, but the fact that Blue Dragon Plus has been ordered and is en route to my home has quelled most of my wrath.

**Prince of Tennis' Shaman: **Ah, definitely Hayate. ;D Off screen, er... off page, Hayate has been bugging Shu incessantly. XD Really?! Oh my gosh... I don't know if I can wait for Corona to finish subbing the rest of season one. *sigh* Looks like I'm back to translating the Spanish subs with Google and AltaVista... Anyway... Alright. Still, I'll try and move a little faster than I would have. ;) Thank you - I think you'll like _Maple Lea_f and _Maple Sky_, too. If I'm able to write it out the way I planned, there should be a lot about Jiro in it. XD And I'll have to get working on the next chapter of _Blue Dragon Beyond_ for you. ;D

**Okay, there are the replies. There are actually two interesting things worth mentioning before I continue with the story. First of all, like I told Rune, a copy of Blue Dragon Plus is on its way to my house. Why is this important? Well... The information that will likely be in Plus will influence **_**Blue Dragon Beyond**_** and how its written. Since there's several things that I've worked into **_**Blue Dragon Beyond**_**, but will be different in Plus, I've already decided it to be a sort-of-AU (hence why I put "alternate storyline" on the summary). But that doesn't mean Plus won't influence the story. Anyway, the second thing was that the Daner x Xi oneshot mentioned at the end of my oneshot **_**Recovery**_** is almost finished. I have the finished story in my notebook; I just have to type it out on my computer and make a few adjustments. Otherwise, it should be up fairly soon. Well... That's all I have to bother you guys with for now. So we can just go to the story. :) **

Hayate grit his teeth. "If I hear that sound _one_ more time..."

As if on cue, Bouquet scurried by, her sandals clapping loudly.

"Relax, bro," Yoshi waved his hand dismissively. "It's no big deal."

"Actually, it's bugging me a little, too." Hannah folded her arms.

"And I thought we'd never agree." Hayate grinned, but it was cut short as Hannah smacked him upside his head.

"And you thought right." she said venomously.

Hayate glared at her. "You don't have to decapitate me. Anyway, the only thing we can really do about it is talk to Shu."

"I don't think that's such a good idea," Yoshi shook his head. "Since you keep annoying him, he's always angry with you. And when you're the one talking to him about her, you've practically made the subject of Bouquet into a nerve for him. If Hannah doesn't take off your head, Shu certainly will."

Hayate rubbed his neck. "I think I'd like to keep my noggin a little longer."

"If you really did, you wouldn't talk nearly as much as you do," Hannah pushed off of the wall. "I'll be back in a while."

Yoshi tilted his head. "Where are you off to?"

"I'm going to look for Bouquet. While Shu might kill Hayate, he wouldn't dream of doing anything to me. I think I can solve our little sandal problem." she grinned knowingly, though what she knew was lost on the twins.

* * *

Shu shrugged. "Sure, if you want. I'm not her keeper. Though I do want her away from Hayate." he added the last part mostly as an afterthought.

"Good," Hannah nodded. "I won't let anything happen to her. It'll be fun, anyway - that girl needs to get out of this place." _Not like she's really able to do anything around here. And, considering this is an army in the middle of a war, that's probably for the best._

"You're going to have to talk to Legolas," Shu knocked his helmet against a crate, desperately trying to get a pebble out of it. "You know he gets upset if we - how does he put it? - 'spend money liberally'."

Hannah snorted. "I'd like to see him try and tell me anything. The way he leads, you and me practically run this place."

"Not according to our superiors."

She smirked. "No, they just think they're leading us."

A corner of his mouth turned up, though his eyes seemed sad. "But when all's said and done, they're the ones who have the last say."

"Well, I'm still working on that little detail," Hannah shielded her eyes with her hand, looking around. "Hey, do you know where she is?"

"I have no idea. She's been trying to crush me in one of her hugs since this morning, so I've been trying to avoid her. Speaking of which, if she asks where I am, point her in the opposite direction."

Her eyebrows rose. "With the way your always concerned about her, I'm surprised you're so determined on staying away from her."

Shu blushed slightly. "I like Bouquet, but it's better to stay away from her when she gets into one of her 'fiancé moods'."

Hannah laughed. "Well, you won't need to worry. She should be away from here for a good part of the day."

* * *

"Really?" Bouquet tried to seem wary, but it was difficult to conceal her excitement.

"Yep," Hannah nodded. "Just you and me. No boys, no army... No Legolas. For the whole day."

"Well..."

She grinned. "Come on. You know you want to go."

"...Okay."

"Perfect!" Hannah slapped her on the back good-naturedly. "Now the only problem we'll have is finding a bra in your size..."

* * *

"I can't believe this!" Yoshi whined. "Now that Hannah took away Bouquet, we don't have anyway to get out of eating the sandwiches."

Hayate shrugged. "Hey, at least we don't have to listen to those sandals," he glanced Shu out of the corner of his eye, who appeared to be getting sick just from looking at the plastic-wrapped lunch. "Hope you have life insurance, Shu."

"Drop dead, Hayate."

Yoshi groaned. "You never stop, do you?"

His twin grinned in response, saying, "Things wouldn't be normal if I did. In fact-"

"Hey-hey!" The trio looked up when they heard the voice, then gaped at the person it belonged to. "Hi, guys!"

Shu tossed his sandwich to the side. "Bouquet..."

She didn't look that different from some of the other Resistance members, though the new outfit was decidedly pink. In her hair were two red hair bands, the style still pigtails. Her top was a pink halter top, a pattern in the middle of it of three blue circles next to each other, rimmed by a gold ring on each. She had on dark red sleeves, like the ones she'd worn two years ago with her uniform. She had a matching mini skirt. On her legs were dark red, thigh-high leggings, covered by pink socks that were a shade lighter than the other pinks. She wore pale, light brown shoes on her feet. And still wrapped around her waist was the red sash.

"She looks pretty cute now, doesn't she?" Hannah winked.

"I'll say," Hayate leaned on his knees. "Is that what you whisked her away to do?"

"Sure is. But that's not even the best part. Show 'em, Bouquet."

Bouquet started lifting up her skirt. Yoshi's eyes widened, Hayate gaped, and Shu screamed while he tried to cover his eyes.

"False alarm, boys." Hannah grinned.

Instead of seeing underwear, there were dark red short shorts.

Bouquet closed her eyes, smiling. "Hannah says that in a place like this, where your skirt is more likely to hike up, it's better to have something like this underneath."

Hayate deflated, while Yoshi tried to get Shu to uncover his eyes.

"It's also good for warding off boys like Hayate." Hannah added. His response was to stick his tongue out at her.

"Or Marumaro!" Bouquet giggled.

"Who's Marumaro?" Yoshi asked her, not noticing the way Shu had gone still and quiet.

"I'll tell you while I make lunch." she said, walking over towards where she'd stored the pot.

Hannah noticed that Shu seemed down. "Hey, what's up, kiddo?"

He shook his head. "It's nothing. I'm just thinking about the past."

She ruffled his hair. "Now isn't the time to think about the past," Hannah nodded towards Bouquet, who was preparing the meal. "Right now, it's time for the new."

**Chapter 3 is finally done! Took me long enough, didn't it? ;) Oh, there's one pretty important thing I'd like to mention: I'm thinking of bumping up the rating to T, and I'm wondering if you guys think I should. Either way is fine with me, so please let me know when you review (if you review). Aside from that, I can't think of much else to say. So I'll try to update after 10 hits, and I'll hopefully see you guys soon. :)**


	4. Refuge

**Chapter 4 is finally up! It took me so long to write this thing... Sorry. Another technician had to come over. But you don't want to hear about that, right? Right. So, with that, let's get to the replies.**

**ultimashadow:** Really? Thanks, I guess. It was actually my least favorite of the ones I've written for _War Stories_ (including this chapter, chapter four), so I'm glad you liked it.

**WindGoddess Rune:** Wow. Thank you. :) Hm? What doomsday? Did I miss something? That would be weird, since I was the one who wrote these chapters, but I'm forgetful, so... Oh, and I did get your message. Thanks for sending it. :)

**WindGoddess Rune:** Really? That's great! :D Oh, boy; sounds like Blue Dragon Plus' ending is going to be as epic as the first game. I'm looking forward to it. :)

**Prince of Tennis' Shaman:** Thank you. *blushes* When I do make OCs, I try to make a character as close as I can to an actual minor character that would appear in the series. I'm glad that they turned out okay. And I'm glad everyone is in-character. Thanks - I'll try to keep it up.

**Okay, there are the replies. I'm surprised - it seems like everyone loved last chapter. I didn't think it was that good, but if you say so... Well, I can't think of too much else I need to mention. Enjoy the chapter. :)**

**Note: This takes place about a week or so after chapter three.**

Shu leaned back, his eyes closed, letting the wind blow across his face as they moved. He wished he could take off the helmet, since his head was getting hot underneath it, but Legolas would probably kill him if he saw that it was off. Or lecture him, which would be just as bad - worse, actually.

"I hate this..." he heard Hayate whine. "City stationing is always so boring. Barely a chance of any action. And the worst of it is that Legolas is just using city stationing as an excuse to get gourmet food."

"Which he never shares with us." Yoshi added sadly.

"He doesn't share it with us because he wants to save money to get food that 'suits his refined pallet'." Shu commented, eyes still closed. Saying it brought to mind the time that Legolas had first told him this. Oddly enough, that was the day he met Bouquet.

He felt a tapping on his shoulder. He opened his eyes, and as if on cue, she sat there in front of him. She had a Resistance helmet on her head. "How do I look, Darling?"

"Take that thing off!" he snapped at her, yanking it off of her head. Seeing her wearing that... it was upsetting. He didn't want her to be a part of this war.

Bouquet pouted. "You're no fun at all."

"This isn't fun and games, Bouquet," he glared at her. "We're in a fight for our lives. Rogi's campaign must be stopped."

"And that's why I have to help you!" she said cheerfully, with a closed-eye smile.

He sighed. Why did he even bother?

"Hey, Shu..." Bouquet started. It was becoming apparent to him that she wanted his attention. "Why is this truck different than the others?"

"It's too old to pull supplies, like the other ones," Shu gestured to the other trucks riding alongside them. "Legolas was going to throw it away, but Hannah took it in, and rigged up this little container-thing instead of the typical cargo holder. It's kind of like the trucks that the Ancients' ancestors used to make."

Hayate snorted. "The thing's a piece of junk."

"I heard that." Hannah snapped at him from the front.

Shu and Yoshi snickered as Hayate grumbled something under his breath along the lines of "troublesome girls".

Bouquet laid her palm on the sun-warmed metal. "I don't think it's junk. It's nice."

Hannah laughed. "That's why I'm glad you're here, Bouquet! We can keep the boys in line!"

* * *

Shu gripped the side of the container, his knuckles and face both pale. "This... this can't be..."

The town was in ruins. Stones and rubble lay on the ground, shells of houses that looked like they could fall over at any moment, the earth scorched from where armies had fought.

"I don't get it," The view had sobered even Hayate. "We were here just a few months ago. Everything was fine."

Hannah jumped out of the truck. "Stuff happens."

"This is terrible," Bouquet looked on in horror. "How can people do this?"

Shu hopped down, then turned and offered his hand to Bouquet. "I still haven't figured it out yet. But it's things like this that remind me why I joined."

"Excuse me!" A girl's voice cut through the air, making Yoshi, who had been hanging onto the edge of the container, fall flat on his back.

They looked over and saw the girl who was calling them running in their direction, pulling a smaller girl along with her. She stopped in front of them, leaning on her knees and catching her breath. "Are you all... part of the Resistance?"

"That would be us." Legolas came onto the scene, several Resistance members behind him.

"Where did he come from all of a sudden?" Hayate whispered on the aside to the others.

"Please, sir..." the girl swallowed. "Please let us join."

"What?!" Legolas gaped at her.

"I-I'm good with computers and mech related stuff. This little one here next to me doesn't know much of anything, but she learns quickly. We won't drag you down, I promise!"

Legolas waved his hand dismissively. "Not a chance. We have too many children in the Resistance as it is." he glared in the direction of Shu and the others.

Shu snorted. "Yeah, children who are practically doing everything..."

"Sir, you don't understand!" she held the little girl closer to her. "These people just came here and destroyed our city! We didn't even have anything to do with them! It was just some stupid battle between Rosenkreuz and Grand Kingdom loyalists! Please..." she bit her lip for a moment, then let it go. "We won't cause any trouble. We just want to get revenge for our friends and our family. For our city."

"Absolutely not!" Legolas stuck his nose in the air.

Hannah placed a hand on her shoulder. "Kiddo, it's great that you want to do this, but... I don't usually do this, but I'm going to have to agree with Legolas on this one. I know better than anyone what you're going through, but it's better that you stay out of this if you can." she started walking away, following Legolas and the other Resistance members.

"B-but... You can't... do this..." she reached out her hand as Hayate and Yoshi sighed and passed her by.

Bouquet glanced from Shu to the girl, upset about the situation, but waiting to see what her fiancé did. She thought the girl should come with, but Shu's choice was good enough for her.

Shu started walking, following the others down the same path. Bouquet glanced sadly at the girls before joining him.

The little girl looked up at the older one. "Now what?"

"I don't know. Maybe if they won't let us join, we'll find our own way to get revenge."

Shu stopped. "Why are you just standing there?"

"Huh?" she looked up at him in surprise.

He turned his head to the side, smirking. "You said you wanted to join, didn't you?"

"Shu! What are you doing?!" Legolas shouted at him.

"Come on." Shu ignored him.

She realized what he was saying, and slowly her mouth became a smile, opening a bit. She closed her eyes, tearing a bit as she replied, "Roger!" she pulled the little girl with her as she ran to Shu's side.

"No, no, no! This is unacceptable! I refuse to allow-"

"Shut it!" Bouquet snapped at Legolas.

"I'm not going to be responsible for those two if they get killed!" he stomped off.

"Just ignore him," Shu grinned broadly as he turned back towards her. "So, what's your name?"

She returned his smile. "My name's Lena. And this little one down here," she looked down at the smaller girl, who hid behind her a bit. "Her name is Rui. I don't actually know her that well. I found her wandering around after the city was destroyed." Her face fell, looking at the ruins of what used to be her home.

"That's why you're with us now," Shu looked forward. "We all have our own reasons to fight against Rosenkreuz. But that's what unites us," he smiled at her again. "Glad to have you along. Welcome to the Resistance."

**Chapter 4 done! A more serious chapter than the last three, but that's kind of the point. Like Shu said, war isn't all fun and games. Though fun and games tends to happen with a jovial group like the youngest members of the Resistance. ;) I'm going to add Lena and Rui to my list of OCs on my profile in a little while, so you might want to check it out. Oh, and while I don't own Lena - she was in episode one of Tenkai - I do own Rui. She is entirely my own character. Well... Review if you can. I'll try to update after 10 hits. I think I already have a few ideas for chapter five. ;) See you around!**


	5. Trainee's Initiation

**Chapter 5 up! This took me so long to write... About three weeks, I think. XP I'm sorry it took me so long; on top of writers' block for most of my stuff (including this), I've been extremely busy lately. *sigh* Something to worry about at another time... Let's do the review replies. :)**

**WindGoddess Rune:** *scratches head sheepishly* Well, Shu said it first... I was just agreeing with him. :P Yes; I loved writing that part. :D Ah... I only saw the end of Episode 49 - Can you believe it? Tenkai is over and I still haven't finished watching it or the first season yet. - but what I did see was definitely awesome. :) Well... Noi is still a kid right now, as revealed in Episode 50... But we'll see once he actually gets older. ;)

**Ultimashadow:** Yes, it's definitely going to be interesting. XD Lena and Rui dying? My friend, I'm slightly grim at times, but I'm not cruel (though the grim part is usually because of my diabetes). :P The chance of those two being killed is even less than the main characters. But, since you mention it... Someone else _has_ been killed; it just hasn't been mentioned (yet). I'm sorry chapter five took so long! Here it is, though. :) Oh... Himiko is an Ancient like Nene; in Blue Dragon Plus, Shu wakes her up from a frozen sleep. She's lost her memory at first, but she regains it fairly fast... Saying anything else would kind of spoil it, but I'll tell you if you want. ;)

**WindGoddess Rune:** Oh... I see what you mean now. XD Actually, this review really helped me get past my writers' block with this chapter; you'll see what I mean. ;)

**WindGoddess Rune:** Ah, it would spoil it if I said anything. XD Though the chapter title says a lot about it...

**Prince of Tennis' Shaman:** Ah, I guess so; I didn't even think of that. But I figured that with a war going on, things like this were going to happen, and would probably happen a lot. Wow, really? Talk about a coincidence (doubly, actually). XD Yes, Lena is very skilled. :) I don't think anyone will be as good as Kluke, though. ;) Ah... I'm still working on those other fics so I can reply to those reviews. XP

**WindGoddess Rune:** This is my third time saying this (I think), but I'm so sorry it took me so long! I hadn't expected to get stuck on this chapter at all... But I'm over it somewhat now. :)

**Review replies done! :D I should probably let everyone know this now: This chapter is the longest one in **_**War Stories**_** to date. But, considering how long the wait was, I think it's worth it. ;) I can't think of anything else to mention, so without further ado, here is chapter five! :D**

Lena moaned, throwing her arm over her face to shield her eyes from the morning sun... "Mom, can you close the blinds...?"

She waited for a moment, but no one responded. She opened her eyes, seeing that she was in a tent instead of her house, and that was when she realized no one was going to.

She resisted the urge to curl into a tight ball, and instead swung her legs over the side of the bed. Now sitting up, she could see Rui in the bed across from her's, sound asleep.

_She's been through a lot... Then again, we both have. But, I bet she's pretty tired,_ As if on cue, Lena yawned.

She nearly jumped when she heard a voice say, "Finally awake, huh?" Snapping her head up, she saw Shu at the tent's entrance, a big grin spread across his face.

"Yeah. Why? Have we been asleep long?"

Shu chuckled a little. "It's past noon, kiddo."

Lena yelped, jumping up from the bed. "I-I'm so sorry!"

He shrugged. "It's okay. We've been able to keep Legolas busy all morning, so he hasn't noticed. But we won't be able to distract him forever, so I'd suggest that you get up and come outside, and try to bring Rui with you if you can."

"Okay," she nodded. "Let me just get myself together."

"Sure thing. I'll see you in a minute."

"Oh, and Shu?" He stopped mid-turn, listening. "... Thank you, for letting me and Rui join the Resistance."

He smiled. "No problem." With that, he left to go wait.

After he'd gone, Lena glanced at the new Resistance clothes that had been laid out for her. She smiled. _I guess this means I'll really get to join the Resistance..._

* * *

Lena soon found that dealing with Rui wasn't the easiest thing in the world. The main problem was that the little girl had a very short attention span. Not a minute after she'd woken up, which she stridently hadn't wanted to do in the first place, she had proclaimed herself ravenously hungry.

Of course, Lena herself felt like she was starving. But that was besides the point.

The point was that Rui had a very short attention span (and was also a bit fickle). This was proven even more when the two girls left the tent - as soon as she saw Shu, she left Lena's side and scurried towards him.

He blinked in surprise as Rui looked up at him with big eyes, but then smiled warmly at her. "What can I do for you, little one?"

"Hungry."

Shu laughed. "Alright. Let's see if we can get some food into you."

A few minutes later found everyone sitting on crates that circled around a center one, where Bouquet was serving the food from.

Dangling her feet cheerfully, Rui took a large bite out of her rice ball. On the crate next to her was Lena, more than a little mortified as she watched her smaller companion scarfing down her food. Like she'd mentioned to Shu before, she didn't know Rui that well, but she still felt responsible for her. As such, that also meant that Lena was embarrassed about Rui's messy eating.

Shu didn't seem to mind, though (that, or he wasn't saying out of politeness, which Lena thought was more likely). "Is that better?"

Rui nodded her head quickly, then took another large bite.

"Rui, please!" Lena practically wailed.

Shu shook his head. "Relax. The two of you haven't eaten in a while, right?"

"Well, yes..."

"So, don't worry about it. We don't mind."

"Besides," Hayate interrupted before Shu had the chance to say anything else. "When he gets really hungry, Shu eats like a pig." Then he started laughing, hard enough for his sides to hurt. His eyes were closed, so he didn't see Shu throw the rock at him.

After Hayate had fallen off the crate, Shu mumbled under his breath, "Idiot..."

Yoshi saw Lena blinking in surprise, so he decided to intervene a little. "It's okay. They do that all the time."

"Yeah," Hannah chuckled a little. "Never mind the war - Hayate's probably going to die from one of the rocks Shu throws at him."

Shu narrowed his eyes sharply. "That isn't funny, Hannah."

"Thank you!" Hayate ground out through his teeth as he pulled himself up. "I wish you'd been in agreement with me before you knocked me off the crate!"

"So," Shu started, ignoring Hayate. "As soon as you're finished eating, you can get started."

Lena swallowed her rice hard. "S-started with what?"

"Well, you're a member of the Resistance now-"

"Wait," she interrupted. "Don't I have to fill something out or anything like that, or get some kind of license that's proof that I joined?"

Shu chuckled nervously. "Oh, well... That's already taken care of..."

* * *

"_Sign it!!" Bouquet prepared to bring down her mallet._

"_No!! I didn't want them to join in the first place!"_

_She slammed the mallet into a vase._

"_Ah!! My other priceless vase!!!"_

"_You're next!"_

"_No, wait! I'll sign it! I'll sign it!!"_

* * *

Lena titled her head to the side. "Taken care of? What do you mean, 'taken care of'?"

"Oh, well..." Shu nervously traced circles on the soil with his foot.

Bouquet smiled at her, eyes closed. "You don't have to worry about it. Me and Legolas had a little... chat."

"So? What did that do?" Her eyebrows creased. "Why aren't you telling me?"

"Uh..." Shu scratched his head, then decided on, "Well, it was really similar to how Bouquet first joined..."

* * *

"_Sign it!!" Bouquet prepared to bring down her long-out-of-use mallet._

"_No!! You're a hazard to my health, and you threatening me with that overgrown hammer is proof of that!"_

_She slammed the mallet into a vase._

"_Ah!! My priceless vase!!!"_

"_You're next!"_

"_No, wait! I'll sign it! I'll sign it!!"_

* * *

Lena sighed. "I still don't get it..."

Hannah chuckled slightly. "Some things are better left unsaid."

Yoshi nodded sagely, his eyes closed. "Much better."

"Anyway," Shu cut through. "Now that you're a member, you're going to have a few tasks to complete."

Hannah and Yoshi shared knowing grins, which didn't go unnoticed by Lena.

Lena gulped. "What kind of tasks?"

"Oh... This and that..." Shu spoke airily, waving his hand. "We'll get started as soon as you're done eating."

* * *

Lena looked on in disbelief, her eyebrow twitching. "I... have to do _this_?..."

Shu had been grinning broadly since they started walking from the crates over to this spot, and he didn't seem like he was going to stop anytime soon. "Yep. We all had to do this when we first joined. Well... Except for Bouquet."

"Why didn't _she_ have to do this?"

"Bouquet doesn't have anything she really does for the Resistance, except cooking. That's why Rui's going to wash the dishes with her. You, however, are mechanically inclined. Because of that, you're going to be doing real work, so that means that you have to go through our... _initiation_."

"I-initiation?" She turned back towards her newfound adversary: basket after basket piled high with laundry, so many that it was practically uncountable.

Shu nodded his head cheerfully, making a sound of confirmation. "Go ahead and get started. As soon as you're done, you'll be given your next task."

Lena stared at the piles for a good minute before his words had sunk in. She spun around, yelling, "Wait, what next task?!" But he had already left. She sighed. _Well, you wanted to join the Resistance. So, do what you have to._ With that thought in mind, she set to work.

* * *

"Here." she offered the plate.

"Thank you." Bouquet accepted it and began drying with a cloth.

She glanced at Rui from the corner of her eye. Looking at her, it didn't seem like she was a terribly unusual little girl. A bit odd, and a little quiet, but pretty much normal. Someone wouldn't think that just twenty-four hours before, her city had been reduced to rubble.

"So, how are things over here?" Her thoughts were interrupted as Shu spoke, walking towards them. "How's Ru-chan's initiation going?"

Bouquet smiled. "She's doing a good job."

Rui looked at him with a surprised face. "Ru-chan..."

"What's wrong?" he titled his head to the side a little. "You don't like that nickname?"

The corners of her mouth upturned. "Ru-chan." she nodded happily.

"I'll take that to mean that you like it, unless you tell me otherwise." He sat down on the crate next to Bouquet's.

"How is Lena doing?" She asked as she set the dish down on a stack.

"She's doing okay, more or less... But I think the initiation surprised her." Shu leaned back on his hands, absentmindedly watching the clouds move across the sky. "I'll go check on her in a few minutes."

* * *

Her hands felt like lead as she moved the clothes across the washboard. "No one should ever say that the laundry they have to do is like an army's... Unless they've actually washed an _army's laundry_..."

During the few minutes that Shu had been gone, Lena had reconsidered her choice several times. The question, _was this really the best thing for her and Rui?_, entered her mind each of those times. But every time it was dismissed.

Even if she was starting out small, by joining the Resistance, she would help put a stop to Rosenkreuz. She knew that it wouldn't bring back her family, wouldn't bring back her city. But it would stop that same thing from happening to anyone else. And for Lena, that was enough.

* * *

Hayate had laced his fingers together and then leaned on his hands, a sly expression on his face. "Hey, Hannah... I noticed something..."

She was leaning against a tree, her eyes closed and arms folded, a position she seemed to be finding herself in often. After a few seconds, she decided to answer him; when he got into these kinds of moods, it was better to respond to him, since he usually bugged you so much that you wished you had. "Yeah? What is it?"

"Well... It's about you..."

Her eyes snapped open. "Hayate, if you're coming on to me-"

"No, no, no!" he held his arms in front of him defensively. "I mean, I think you're attractive and everything, but... You'd probably kill me if I tried anything like that."

"You've got that right." She relaxed slightly, but her gaze remained sharp.

"Right. So, anyway... I had noticed this yesterday..." his smirk seemed to widen. "Ever since those two kids joined, you haven't touched a cigarette."

For a few moments, Hannah looked like someone had thrown a bucket of water in her face (minus the wetness). She quickly shook it off, closing her eyes again, saying, "I keep telling everyone that I can stop when I want to. Why is it so unusual?"

"Because... You usually tell everyone before you stop."

She gaped at him for a little bit before speaking. "Just what are you trying to say?"

He shrugged. "Oh, nothing... Except that _I_ think you're doing it to keep those kids from breathing in the smoke," He looked at her with one eye closed. "Am I right?"

"... You're delusional," Hannah stomped away from him, and without even a passing glance said, "I'm just taking a break for a little while."

She'd taken about ten steps before- "A break, huh?"

Hannah yelped and spun around, coming face to face with Shu. Still holding a hand over her chest, she shrieked at him, "You scared the heck out of me!"

He rolled his eyes. "It's not my fault if you're not paying attention to your surroundings. You know that you're supposed to do that as a soldier."

She pinched between her eyebrows. "What do you _want_?"

"I came to tell you to go see Lena and give her the next task." he started walking away before she had a chance to respond.

Hannah sighed. "Great..."

* * *

Much like it had been doing an hour and a half before, Lena's eyebrow twitched. "I have to do _this_?"

"It's not that bad." Hannah couldn't help but be a little short with her; she hadn't wanted to be the one to do this in the first place.

"Not that bad?" the younger girl looked at her incredulously. "You want me to make the beds of the Resistance members... which would be fine... except that there's likely hundreds of them!"

"We're not that big of an army, kiddo." _Not yet, anyway, if Rosenkreuz continues their campaign._ Of course, considering what Lena had gone through recently, Hannah didn't voice this thought. "You're only doing the foot soldiers beds, and those are about a hundred and fifty. There's only one sheet per bed, so it shouldn't take you longer than two minutes to do each one."

"That's still five hours." Lena said flatly.

"Well in that case, unless you want your tasks to carry over to the next day, you should get started, shouldn't you?" Hannah's tone was filled with humor.

Lena groaned. _Maybe the next tasks won't be so bad..._

* * *

By the end of the day, Lena was exhausted.

The third task came a little unexpectedly - Hayate made her run laps through the campgrounds, he'd said to quicken her reflexes. She had wondered a few times if this was true, or it was just part of some ulterior motive to tire her out. Especially since this one turned out to be the one that drained her the most.

The fourth task was more like the other ones - Yoshi instructed her to make a record of every weapon in the Resistance for inventory purposes. Like the beds, this one wouldn't have been so bad; the problem was that the weapons were scattered all over the place, and there were thousands of them.

The final task was actually pretty easy, but she was too exhausted to care - Bouquet had her take her place drying the dishes, this time the ones from dinner.

So, that was where she was now - once again sitting on a crate, drying off the dishes that Rui washed, and practically falling asleep.

Lena sighed tiredly, and Rui tilted her head to the side. "Not feeling okay?"

"No, Ru-chan," she managed a wry smile when her friend perked up at the nickname Shu had given her. "I feel like I could fall asleep standing up."

"Why?"

She looked into the campfire a little sadly. "I did all of this work today, basically a bunch of chores, and I feel like I didn't accomplish anything." she sighed again. "I don't see what any of that stuff had to do with being a part of the Resistance. I wanted to be useful, but instead I feel like a paperweight." A sudden thought struck her. "Maybe... Maybe this is there way of chasing me off, to get rid of me."

At that moment, she saw a cord pass her line of vision, then heard something clink against her new jacket. Looking down, she saw-

"Those are your dog tags," Shu smiled down at her. "You did good today; you're a trainee, so you shouldn't expect so much of yourself."

"Shu..." she clutched at the identifying tags that now hung from her neck.

He started walking towards the tents. "Tomorrow we'll start you off with a few manuals on the Shadow Type Robots, and get you acquainted with our computer system... such as it is, anyway; Legolas doesn't like to spend a lot..." he cut off his rambling and turned his head towards her. "As an official member, I'm expecting the very best from you." he winked.

She blinked at him for a moment, still a little surprised. Then she stood abruptly, saluting him and yelling, "Yes, sir!"

Shu chuckled and shook his head. "Wrong hand, kiddo."

Lena yelped, realizing her mistake, and hastily switched them.

He waved. "Get some sleep. I'll see you in the morning."

"I will! Have a good rest!" she waved back.

Once he'd gone, she held up the tags to look at, the orange flame from the campfire shining on the metal. _I really did it... Now, I'm really a member of the Resistance._ Determination gleamed in her eyes. _I'll do my best._

**And it's done! :D I'm glad I finally finished this chapter... I just wish it hadn't taken so long. XP I don't know how good this chapter was - I'd had something slightly different in mind for the whole initiation thing, but it turned out slightly different. Anyway... I'm a little unsure of what will happen in the next chapter. I have a few ideas, of course, but I'm unsure about which of those ideas will happen first. I'll figure it out, though... Anyway, if you get the chance, please review. :) I'm still trying to update after 10 hits, even though I've been late recently. So... See you soon! :D**


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